HEBREW HONEYCOMB

William Andrew Dillard

THE NUMBER IS 666
“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” Rev. 13:18.
Much speculation, mostly quite wild, surrounds this verse of scripture, particularly among those not noted as biblical scholars, but as ones given to sensationalism, either for their own pleasure or for the captivation of attention of those less informed than they. So, dare we protrude into that speculative world, or may sane, sensible, understanding prevail which is in total harmony with all the rest of the 66 books of holy writ? Let’s think about it!
“Beast” in prophetic terms, and often in modern vernacular as well, refers to government, the organizational direction of nationalities. “Man” in this verse of scripture is not in the ancient Greek of the New Testament,“aner,” a man, but “Anthropos,” “mankind, species.” “Wisdom” is the proper application of knowledge. With this information, a literal translation of the ancient Greek is offered. “Here the wisdom is, the one having the mind (to spiritually calculate) let him pebble (count) the number of the wild beast, for it is number of humankind, and the number of it is 666.”
Are you thinking with me?
What is the number of humankind? Biblical numerics consistently place it as six. On the sixth day mankind was created; hence, it becomes its number. But what may be said about the plural number? It is this. Mankind was made in the image of Almighty God, his creator. God is a trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore mankind was made to be triune creatures. Every person possesses an intellect after the similitude of the Father, a body after the similitude of the Son, and a very real spirit after the similitude of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, in the affairs of men values and principles are constantly under assault by the demands of humanism (natural man in his sinful state). Often, changes occur that are unbiblical, immoral, and downright evil. At last, the world of mankind will, by the grace of God, arrive at its ages-long quest: to have a world devoid of any vestige of God. Thus, the final expression of human government will be totally Godless in mind, body, and spirit (666) and the masses of such men will gladly usher in its ultimate leader: THE MAN OF SIN.
So, the knowledge of the Word affords us the wisdom to know that the beast (government) which will finally emerge as the crown jewel of humankind will be humanistic in mind, body, and spirit: 6, and 6, and 6. Can that day be far away?

TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND

‘HAND OF GOD SENT MISSILE INTO SEA’

Iron Dome operator: ‘I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes’

Published: 3 days ago

JOE KOVACS

More claims of divine intervention are being reported in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, with an operator of Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system saying he personally witnessed “the hand of God” diverting an incoming rocket out of harm’s way.

Israel Today translated a report from a Hebrew-language news site, which noted the Iron Dome battery failed three times to intercept an incoming rocket headed toward Tel Aviv last week.

The commander recalled: “A missile was fired from Gaza. Iron Dome precisely calculated [its trajectory]. We know where these missiles are going to land down to a radius of 200 meters. This particular missile was going to hit either the Azrieli Towers, the Kirya (Israel’s equivalent of the Pentagon) or [a central Tel Aviv railway station]. Hundreds could have died.

“We fired the first [interceptor]. It missed. Second [interceptor]. It missed. This is very rare. I was in shock. At this point we had just four seconds until the missile lands. We had already notified emergency services to converge on the target location and had warned of a mass-casualty incident.

“Suddenly, Iron Dome (which calculates wind speeds, among other things) shows a major wind coming from the east, a strong wind that … sends the missile into the sea. We were all stunned. I stood up and shouted, ‘There is a God!’

“I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes. It was not told or reported to me. I saw the hand of God send that missile into the sea.”

The commander’s account is reminiscent of a recent newspaper headline which trumpeted the possibility of supernatural protection.

“Their God changes the path of our rockets in mid-air, said a terrorist,” was the headline in the July 18 edition of the Jewish Telegraph.

It was a partial quote from Barbara Ordman, who lives in Ma’ale Adumim on the West Bank.

Her exact quotation was: “As one of the terrorists from Gaza was reported to say when asked why they couldn’t aim their rockets more effectively: “We do aim them, but their God changes their path in mid-air.”

She opened her piece by noting: “In October 1956, [Israeli Prime Minister] David Ben Gurion was interviewed by CBS. He stated: ‘In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.’”

Ordman also noted religious texts, specifically the Jerusalem Talmud, teaches Israelis not to depend on miracles for survival.

“It argues that we must not desist from our obligations and must not wait for miraculous intervention from the Supernatural,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported a senior officer in Israel’s army said divine miracles protected his soldiers during fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Givati Brigade commander Col. Ofer Winter told the weekly publication Mishpacha that he “witnessed a miraculous occurrence, the likes of which he had never seen before during his military career.”

Winter indicated a predawn raid intended to use darkness as cover was delayed, forcing the soldiers to move toward their objective as sunrise was approaching.

With the troops in danger of being exposed at daybreak, Winter explained how heavy fog quickly descended to shroud their movements until their mission was accomplished.

“Suddenly a cloud protected us,” he said, referring to clouds the Bible says guided the ancient Israelites as they wandered in the desert. “Clouds of glory.”

Winter said only when the soldiers were in a secure position, the fog finally lifted.

“It really was a fulfillment of the verse ‘For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to give you victory,’” he said, quoting Deuteronomy 20:4.

The Times of Israel notes Winter made headlines over an official letter he sent to battalion and company commanders July 9, telling his subordinates that “history has chosen us to spearhead the fighting (against) the terrorist ‘Gazan’ enemy which abuses, blasphemes and curses the God of Israel’s (defense) forces.”

The dispatch came under fire from some, since it portrayed the Operation Protective Edge as a religious war against non-Jews. The Israeli government’s stated aim is to stop rocket attacks at Israel and destroy a network of tunnels dug under the border from Gaza used to launch terror attacks inside Israeli territory.

In his interview with Mishpacha, Winter defended his message, saying everyone finds God when in combat.

“Anyone who attacked me for the letter apparently has only seen weapons in pictures, was never in combat, and doesn’t know what fighting spirit is,” he said, revealing that before going into action his custom was to recite the blessing with which the ancient Israelite priests would bless the army before it went to war.

“When a person is in a life-threatening situation he connects with his deepest internal truths, and when that happens, even the biggest atheist meets God,” he said, claiming soldiers see so many miracles, “it is hard not to believe [in God].”

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/08/hand-of-god-sent-missile-into-sea/#TL0BV8Yh3OebhLBK.99

ANTICHRIST IS HERE!!

HEBREW HONEYCOMB

Author: W. A. Dillard
Our dearly beloved apostle, John wrote: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” I John 2:18. Now, hold on just a minute! What is he saying? What does he mean? Think with me!
Since “ …man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Luke 4:4, it is imperative that every word of God be thoroughly understood to have correct theology and proper discipleship. Therefore, we observe that “antichrist” is a compound word. “Anti” is a prefix meaning “against; opposite in the negative.” “Anti” in this case does not necessitate harshness, but simply a mild twisting of the truth into error, and propagating it as truth. Moreover, “Christ” is a Greek term transliterated into English. It means “anointed.” So, the apostle John is telling us that there are many who are anti (the) anointed in the world already in his time. Of course, that number has been multiplied exponentially over the last two thousand years.
Now we follow with a proper application of the compound term that is totally in harmony with all the rest of the Word of God. Greeks would use the term “Christ” while Hebrews would use the term “Messiah.” Hence, the meaning of these terms go deep into Hebrew history. The anointing of a new king or high priest was accomplished with a public ceremony wherein oil was poured over the head of the designated person. In scripture, oil is consistently symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Upon the anointing with oil, the Holy Spirit empowered the one anointed with sufficient wisdom and power to properly fulfill the office for which he was being installed.
In the New Testament, only two entities were anointed with the Holy Spirit, imparting to them the power to fulfill their designated roles. Those two are the Head of the body, and the body of the Head. Specifically, these are Jesus, the Head of His body, the church, at His baptism, and His body, the church, on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2. The Head of the body, and the body of the Head stand for the same principles. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life while the church is the pillar and ground of the truth, and it is the propagator of the faith once delivered to the saints in and through the Head.
Finally, if every word of God is important, and is true (which it is), and if the anointed body of Jesus is heaven’s agency on earth standing for and propagating that word and its truth, then it follows that every institution and person on earth seeking to pervert, deny, and twist that word and that truth out of its context to make it seem to say something it does not is indeed antichrist. Truly, many antichrists are here, and they will play a significant role in propelling THE COMING MAN OF SIN into international prominence. Therefore while it is today, call on the name of the Lord in repentance from sin, then walk in faith in the anointed Head and body instead of one of the many antichrists.

HEBREW HONEYCOMB

Author – W.A. Dillard

AND THEY KNEW NOT. . .
“ For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt. 24:38, 39.
The Divine description of life in the antediluvian world may cause one to ask, “Just what is wrong with what they were doing? It is not still just fine to eat, and to drink, and to marry and give in marriage?” It depends on what is understood by the statement. If those things were done in moderation, and in accord with the will of the Heavenly Father, then there was indeed no wrong done by those deeds. On the other hand if these were the driving forces of life, they speak of a sensual, epicurean society that did not eat to live, but lived to eat, drink, and gratify wanton lusts. The deciding clue comes from the rest of that description, “….And knew not until the flood came and took them all away…” This underscores the driving force of life then as sensual continuously. They had neither regard for God nor any sense of accountability to Him. When people persist in debauchery, they exclude God from their thinking. Life then degenerates to the lowest level of “me only.” When that determination persists, God gives people over to a reprobate mind to do those things that and not convenient, but rotten, filthy, and without compassion. So, they continued on in a degenerate lifestyle which they must have thought would never end. And the flood came and took them all away, except the righteous man Noah and his family.
Jesus’ description of that time was given as a warning sign that the world would degenerate into that same condition as the time of His coming approached. Let the reader pause and read again the first chapter of the book of Romans. Certainly, this is a description of the dark side of civilization in Paul’s day. But that was nearly 2000 years ago. The kind of folks he described were the same kind as those before the flood. Moreover, this type of humanity has multiplied exponentially during the last two millenniums. On the American scene, at least, this has become considered normal and acceptable. It is not that warnings have escaped the scope of their knowledge; rather it is that they refuse to believe them and so discount them altogether. What can be done? Keep sounding the alarm! This evil world system is going down, and all with it who love it. But there may be one here or there who will hear. Still, for the most part it shall be repeated, “And they knew not . . . “ So soon shall the Lord appear and the corrupters of men will cry for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them to hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Rev. 6:16

Days of Noah

Author – Bob Hess
TODAY AND THE DAYS OF NOAH ARE LIKE LOOKING IN A MIRROR:
“As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” Matthew 24:37-41
What are these verses telling us? We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness (Contrary to how the new movie portrays him), according to 2 Peter 2:5. He was a righteous man (living a life that was right in the eyes of God), blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God, according to Genesis 6:9.
When Noah began building the Ark, I can just imagine how those who observed what he was doing reacted. Being a “preacher of righteousness”, I can see Noah telling the people what God was planning to do. But in spite of watching this faithful man of God, being obedient to God, the people continued on in living each day as though Noah was crazy for doing what he was doing. A flood? It doesn’t even rain. Where is all the water going to come from that will cover our city, let alone the whole world? I can just hear them saying, as days became months and months became years. Then came the 119th year, and still no rain, let alone a flood. But, Noah kept building and making the preparations that God had instructed him to do.
But people STILL continued on with their same lifestyle of “eat, sleep and be merry”. Noah was “crazy” – “Building an ark because it is going to rain and kill everyone?”. Finally at the end of the 120th year from the day that Noah was told that God had had it with man, Noah had completed the task that God had given him – completely and he made sure that every “I” was dotted and very “T” was crossed (Genesis 6:22). God told Noah to get into the ark with the seven members of his family, and GOD SHUT THE DOOR OF SAFETY.
Today, many of God’s people are telling the people of this world that Jesus is about to return. But, life goes on as usual. Things are becoming more and more evil as each day passes bye, just as they did in the day of Noah. Right is becoming wrong and wrong is becoming right – homosexuality, abortion, etc. (Isaiah 5:20-24 and Malachi 2:17). In Malachi, God said that He is tired of them saying that “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD and He is pleased with them”. Sound familiar? We are facing a day when people spit in the face of God by saying that homosexuality is OK in God’s sight when God’s Word says otherwise.
Well folks. Jesus IS COMING BACK SOON. People can deny it if they want to. But Peter warned the Christians of his day that “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say “Where is this coming He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4)
The scoffers are becoming the majority today. But we can’t give up and we can’t give in. We need to be “preachers of righteousness” just as Noah was as he waited for God’s promise to be fulfilled for 120 years. I honestly don’t believe that we have 120 years. Who knows? We may not even have another 120 minutes.

CONFLICT AMONG THE ATHEIST’S

Notice some atheists want their own church and others say that it is what every atheist should repudiate.

 

 

Atheist ‘Mega-Churches’ Take Root Across US, World

 

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:25 PM PST

 

The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It looked like a typical Sunday morning at any mega-church. Several hundred people, including families with small children, packed in for more than an hour of rousing music, an inspirational talk and some quiet reflection. The only thing missing was God.

 

Nearly three dozen gatherings dubbed “atheist mega-churches” by supporters and detractors have sprung up around the U.S. and Australia — with more to come — after finding success in Great Britain earlier this year. The movement fueled by social media and spearheaded by two prominent British comedians is no joke.

 

On Sunday, the inaugural Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles attracted several hundred people bound by their belief in non-belief. Similar gatherings in San Diego, Nashville, New York and other U.S. cities have drawn hundreds of atheists seeking the camaraderie of a congregation without religion or ritual.

 

The founders, British duo Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, are currently on a tongue-in-cheek “40 Dates, 40 Nights” tour around the U.S. and Australia to drum up donations and help launch new Sunday Assemblies. They hope to raise more than $800,000 that will help atheists launch their pop-up congregations around the world. So far, they have raised about $50,000.

 

They don’t bash believers but want to find a new way to meet likeminded people, engage in the community and make their presence more visible in a landscape dominated by faith.

 

Jones got the first inkling for the idea while leaving a Christmas carol concert six years ago.

 

“There was so much about it that I loved, but it’s a shame because at the heart of it, it’s something I don’t believe in,” Jones said. “If you think about church, there’s very little that’s bad. It’s singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with wonderful relationships. What part of that is not to like?”

 

The movement dovetails with new studies that show an increasing number of Americans are drifting from any religious affiliation.

 

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released a study last year that found 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years. Pew researchers stressed, however, that the category also encompassed majorities of people who said they believed in God but had no ties with organized religion and people who consider themselves “spiritual” but not “religious.”

 

Sunday Assembly — whose motto is Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More — taps into that universe of people who left their faith but now miss the community church provided, said Phil Zuckerman, a professor of secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont.

 

It also plays into a feeling among some atheists that they should make themselves more visible. For example, last December, an atheist in Santa Monica created an uproar — and triggered a lawsuit — when he set up a godless display amid Christian nativity scenes that were part of a beloved, decades-old tradition.

 

“In the U.S., there’s a little bit of a feeling that if you’re not religious, you’re not patriotic. I think a lot of secular people say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. We are charitable, we are good people, we’re good parents and we are just as good citizens as you and we’re going to start a church to prove it,” said Zuckerman. “It’s still a minority, but there’s enough of them now.”

 

That impulse, however, has raised the ire of those who have spent years pushing back against the idea that atheism itself is a religion.

 

“The idea that you’re building an entire organization based on what you don’t believe, to me, sounds like an offense against sensibility,” said Michael Luciano, a self-described atheist who was raised Roman Catholic but left when he became disillusioned.

 

“There’s something not OK with appropriating all of this religious language, imagery and ritual for atheism,” said Luciano, who blogged about the movement at the site policymic.com.

 

That sentiment didn’t seem to detract from the excitement Sunday at the inaugural meeting in Los Angeles.

 

Hundreds of atheists and atheist-curious packed into a Hollywood auditorium for a boisterous service filled with live music, moments of reflection, an “inspirational talk” about forgotten — but important — inventors and scientists and some stand-up comedy.

 

During the service, attendees stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered as Jones and Evans led the group through rousing renditions of “Lean on Me,” ”Here Comes the Sun” and other hits that took the place of gospel songs. Congregants dissolved into laughter at a get-to-know-you game that involved clapping and slapping the hands of the person next to them and applauded as members of the audience spoke about community service projects they had started in LA.

 

At the end, volunteers passed cardboard boxes for donations as attendees mingled over coffee and pastries and children played on the floor.

 

For atheist Elijah Senn, the morning was perfect.

 

“I think the image that we have put forward in a lot of ways has been a scary, mean, we want to tear down the walls, we want to do destructive things kind of image is what a lot of people have of us,” he said. “I’m really excited to be able to come together and show that it’s not about destruction. It’s about making things and making things better.”

 

The post Atheist ‘Mega-Churches’ Take Root Across US, World appeared first on The Trumpet Online.

 

 

 

Is America Becoming a Pagan Kingdom? 3

By Kelly OConnell  Monday, December 17, 2012

H. World Religion Polytheism Versus Monotheism
One of the great battles between ancient paganism and Christianity was the debate over whether a single, versus multiple deities existed. For example, one of the main reasons Christianity was sanctioned so harshly by the Romans was their insistence that God was of one nature. This disagreed with the state religious system which was pluralistic and committed to bringing in any non-novel foreign deities, already established elsewhere. Interestingly, the most important public policy in ancient Rome was Pax Deorum, or the Peace of the Gods—which directed the leaders to do anything humanly possible to avoid upsetting the gods so as to avoid human tragedy.
This battle was decisively settled when Constantine declared Christianity the state religion. After this such leaders as Emperor Theodosius declared pagan worship a capital offense, with offenders possibly executed. Yet, today in America the Christian church is reeling as multiple cases come down against Believers and church expressions of faith. Any statements seen as exclusive of any other religious traditions, including atheism are harshly put down as non-inclusive. So paganism has returned to America.
I. World Government & Tower of Babel
A fixation on a one-world government which would create a single law applied around the globe by a world court system, also delivering taxation and management of resouces and assets is not a new idea but ancient. The Tower of Babel in Genesis was an example of such an attempt to create a one-world society. This was rejected by Yahweh who caused languages to be multiplied to foment confusion to end the project. Therefore, a commitment to world government cannot be claimed biblical or modern, but merely pagan.
J. Education Goals
While the classical Triumvirate was developed by pagan thinkers, the average Roman did not have access to such first-class education. The vast majority of Romans were plebeians, the poorer class. Only upper class males were trained, with some notable middle class children such as Cicero who were able to advance beyond their class via hard work and genius.
The original American education czar, John Dewey, was certainly a progressive, and many feel a Marxist. His goal was to train children through experience, not via rote memory or immersion in classical texts as was the original American pedagogy. It is because of Dewey’s ideas that American education became a study in advanced mediocrity, turning out generations of students simply not equipped to debate, analyze arguments, or study texts with any precision. In other words, perfect pawns for the state, representing the ancient Roman description of a few elites directing the masses. Writes one educator,
A detailed examination of Dewey’s relationship to Marxism can explain a great deal about the form and content of modern schools. Dewey found Marxism useful, if not indispensable, in the formulation of his educational theories…
K. Belief in Universal Law
It is part of leftist modern political theory that there must be a body of world legislators and courts to standardize a global law, which presumes a viable world body of law fully applicable in any scenario or setting. This idea was in fact first declared by the ancient Roman Stoics who declared a law which applied universally, such as demanded now with the United Nations.
Yet the greatest theory of law in modern history, Anglo-American common law, is decidedly not a claim of universal jurisprudence but a regional canon based upon Natural Law & Rights. It proved so powerful its Constitution and Bill of Rights became the model for all universal rights theorists. Yet the problem with universal law regimes is that should they become corrupt, the entire world would become infected and tyrannical, without any potential respite except for armed insurrection.
L. Afterlife
The idea of a heaven and hell were not originally in the minds of the earliest Romans. Instead, a life inside the grave was imagined, explaining inclusion of various everyday implements, according to Numa Denis Fustel De Coulanges in The Ancient City. Instead, it was thought corpses still had some level of awareness in the grave. Only later was it conceived that underground spirits joined in a giant cavern where they resided together. But there was no belief that good people went to a heaven, whereas as the evil went to hell.
In modern America, belief in a Christian heaven and hell is increasingly unpopular with many believing just in heaven, whereas many others believe the “soul” is annihilated after death. This is no coincidence, but in an increasingly perverse and irreligious populace where many cling only to the barest outlines of Christianity, it is certain that those who abandon traditional morality also abandon orthodox theology on the afterlife.
M. Property Rights
One of the current fascinations in American society is the idea of wealth redistribution. This well-suits the welfare of ancient Rome and its grain dole. Further, despite the idea of private property, there was no well-established right of such. This is because the city, the most common authority in antiquity, was seen as representing the group, and no individual rights theory existed at this time. Therefore, the city could confiscate private property if it saw need to.
The medieval debate over private property between the Franciscans and the Pope was used by William of Ockham to argue that individuals had a non-negotiable right to property ownership. This became a foundational Natural Law and Rights argument. John Locke famously argued for a complete defense of private property, which along with the rule of law, made America’s prosperity possible. Yet, now we are on the verge of giving up even this fundamental right which will almost certainly lead to America collapsing economically.

Is America Becoming a Pagan Kingdom? 2

By Kelly OConnell  Monday, December 17, 2012

III. Chief Doctrines of Reborn Paganism
A. Family
The modern family is in state of siege, on the verge of total destruction. In its place are various entities and unions, many fleeting in nature. Marriage itself as a sacred Christian union is a bygone concept. More interestingly, the very institutions which supported and fed into marriage by way of courtship and dating are today almost extinct. The practice of “hooking up,” being a preliminary sexual exploration before any level of commitment—has inverted the paradigm. The upshot is the old cornerstone of “True Love” being a fixation on a marriage of incorporeal love and total dedication versus all others—essentially unknown in the ancient world—has disappeared. The ancient world with its commonplace prostitution and use of slaves as unfettered sex objects without any rights—regardless of age, gender and used in any manner has been replaced by promiscuity and pornography.
B. Gay Marriage
While gay “marriage” is seen nowhere in ancient history, the seeds of homosexual unions are firmly planted in classical paganism. First, the Greeks were open to the potential for men to have homosexual relations. For example, in one of the most notorious developments in history, homosexual pedophilia was highly developed in ancient Greece. This cult of pederasty was ostensibly used for instruction. Further, homosexual acts by adults were noted in culture and the arts.
Romans also tolerated homosexuality, yet with a twist. Officially, homosexual acts between Roman citizens merited the death penalty. Yet, any sex acts done with a slave, even children, were totally acceptable. This was because slaves were not technically persons under the law. Yet, no ancient society ever allowed homosexuals the right to marry. Further, the Christian theology placing Christ’s relationship to the Church as an analogy to human marriage certainly meant that no straight reading of the Bible could ever condone such an idea. That America now legislates such actions is a powerful statement on our true pagan faith.
C. State Directed Religion
While the American Constitution famously defends the right for unfettered religious belief and expression, modern society is seriously pruning back free religious expression. What is taking its place is a kind of state-approved religious expression which focuses on certain pagan beliefs, such as the deification of nature, the planet (gaia) and the cosmos. Considered the most grievous crime against the modern mind is the prejudiced claim of an exclusive religion or God, especially one whom proscribes certain “sinful” behaviors. This rejection of the biblical code is an acceptance of the ancient pagan standards that tolerated any religion except an exclusive claim which rejected all others.
D. Command Economy
The ancient world had no comprehension of capitalism, its theories being outlined formally by Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations. But it is true that the elements of informal capitalism have existed from time immemorial without being codified. In the ancient world, land was often owned by the government—such as in Egypt. In Rome, the government contracted for “corn,” or grain from which to feed the people. Often this was contracted in foreign climes like Africa. There was an artificial port named, appropriately enough, Portus built expressly in which to land craft laden with grain. The public policy of amassing grain for public use and setting its price, meant to ameliorate famine, was cura annonae, according to Tacitus. While inventive, the government’s direct control of agriculture on such large scale would neither be efficient, nor sustainable. That America is now creating a command economy of health care is a dire sign for the end of the world’s best private medical system.
E. Irrelevance of Private Morality Behind Public Success
In ancient Rome, citizens were not judged by their private lives as much by their achievement of success in two realms—military and politics. Wealth and great fame were also acknowledged. The concept of an admirable inner life was unknown to Romans, according to Florence Dupont in Daily Life in Ancient Rome, describing how Romans were not in the least introspective, but judged themselves exclusively by how others saw them. The goal in the Roman world was glory and a good name, achieved by battlefield bravery and political achievement in the senate and various magistracies.
What mattered in ancient Rome is similar to what is celebrated in modern America—military success, political achievement, overall renown, riches, and being part of a higher status family. But what used to be a fixation with Americans—being how people achieved success and what kind of person they were, how they treat friends, family, and strangers, let alone overall character—no longer matters.
F. Anti-Science
Scientific undertakings in America have become overly politicized and ends-directed until the outcomes of “independent” studies and experiments are now often wholly predictable and fixed. This is much like how ancient Rome used its collegia of priestly groups. For example, when the Romans had a monstra appear, being some kind of natural anomaly, like the birth of a two-headed calf, the senate investigated this by way of their priests. They might ask the Haruspices to investigate the nature of these phenomenon, who would do so by opening an animal and reading its liver. These would then report back to the senate their findings, but it would be up to the senate to decide what it all meant. So pagan politics dominated every other concern, just like today.
F. Nature Worship
One sees a decided development of worship of nature in the modern cult of Gaia, which portrays the earth as a kind of god. Such sentiments are not foreign to ancient societies, which often associated religion with such items as trees, aka sacred groves. For instance, one writer describes Earth First!
and love of trees and nature worship,
Some of today’s environmental movement is clearly a revival of ancient pagan nature worship, exemplified in this video of Earth First members crying out, speaking not only of but to trees, and referring to the forest as a “tabernacle.”
This attitude is plainly seen in the following passages from Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism With an Essay on Baal Worship, On The Assyrian Sacred “Grove”:
There is a word of the feminine gender occurring in the Hebrew twenty-four times, viz., Asherah or Asharah; plural, Asharth translated in the Septuagint and Latin vulgate, a tree, or “grove,” in which they have been followed by most modern versions, including the English. This supplies the void, for Asharah may be regarded as another name for the goddess Ashtoreth. What, then, was the Asharah? It was of wood, and of large size; the Jews were ordered to cut it down.
G. One-World Religious System
The dream of a one-world pagan religious system symbolized by the European godhead excepted Judaism and Christianity is alive today. The ancient religious system of Rome and Greece had analogs across the globe in various cultures, whether in Europe, the Indian subcontinent, or various other places. This world system is back via commands against exclusivity, or prohibitions against what were once considered sins. Defy this movement and risk jails or fines, just as ancient Roman authorities attempted to stamp out and kill Christianity for rejecting the state pantheon.

Is America Becoming a Pagan Kingdom? 1

 By Kelly OConnell  Monday, December 17, 2012

It must be some kind of joke to suggest the United States of America is turning resolutely towards paganism, the antithesis of Christianity—correct? Sadly, this is exactly what appears to be quickly happening to this most Christian of all nations in terms of origin and practice. We see this in our views of government, family, economics, freedom, law and especially religion. We are now presented with a kind modern homo paganus, a modernized version of ancient man. Paganism is defined as:
1. An adherent of a polytheistic religion in antiquity, especially when viewed in contrast to an adherent of a monotheistic religion.
2. A Neopagan.
3. Offensive—a. One who has no religion; b. An adherent of a religion other than Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
4. A hedonist.
Paganism is a set of beliefs and practices essentially tied to the societies of the ancient world outside Judaism and Christianity. In particular, classical paganism was the worldview of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The revival of these ancient cultures during the Renaissance by way of the ancient writers is the foundation for Humanism. Despite the many high points of ancient classical paganism, these cultures’ values were rejected by the Christian West as utterly at odds with the great standards created by the rise of Christian Europe. This article details how these standards, misunderstood and rejected, are being slowly lost and replaced by unenlightened instincts and more primitive beliefs.

I. The Drift of Modern American Public Policy & Societal Mores
When gay marriage bills pass for the first time in state ballots, it is obvious that a new day has dawned in America. As opposed to the mere evolution of ideas and habits which occurs in every culture, the transition in the US represents a sea-change in beliefs and practice. This change represents a fall back into paganism, which could be argued the default thoughts and ideals of unregenerate mankind. Further, one could directly state that there are two essential worldviews of mankind—the biblical versus pagan.
Paganism therefore rejects biblical revelation of the One God, and an objective definition of truth—replacing it with a regime of superstition, earth worship, polytheism, and radical humanism. The latter is the replacement of any traditional Western idea of religion with rank secularism, however that might attain. An example of the latter would be Marxism with its savage embargo of God, which replaced tradition with a comically inept reign of humanistic pseudo-science, totally rejecting constitutionalism, natural law, and human rights.
It is a fundamental conviction of modern mankind that human society is destined to evolve and that all evolution occurs to positive results. This notion is tied into the prevalent belief that humans evolved and therefore evolution is a fixed and positive reality of human life. Instead, this pernicious notion would be harmful, even if humans were products of Darwinian evolution—because it fatalistically blesses every change without bothering to analyze it. Certainly this is one of the causes of the continuing fall in human happiness in our increasingly confused and contradictory society. These reborn pagan practices all help guide our fall.
II. Ancient Roots of Modern Paganism
Foundation of the West’s Argument Against Paganism
The chief and most devastating arguments against paganism were levied by Christian Roman emperors, and by the ancient Church Fathers. These can be boiled down to a few central principles. First, according to the emperors, paganism rejected God’s rule over mankind. Likewise, according to the Patristic Fathers, essential truth can only be known via revelation—by divine gift to mankind, as opposed to the flawed results of humanistic philosophizing.
Second, since only God knows the truth, only He can deliver this through His Word. So to oppose this, whether by pagan or heretic means is one of the most grievous sins imaginable. The emperors, such as Constantine made proposing such pagan falsehoods against the law. Other emperors may have battled back against this mandate, such as Julian the Apostate, but the tide was clear and eventually the Roman Empire became officially Christianized.
The triumph of Christianity against paganism amongst the common people should be seen as the understandable acceptance of a theory of God which was not arbitrary, offering a description of life based upon hope over fear. Also, the Bible gained cachet by presenting a vision of life where all men and women, regardless of status, citizenship, free or slave, all stood on equal footing before God. This powerful idea was the opposite of Roman society. Sadly, rejecting this can only be seen as a lapse from faith back into the abyss of ignorance and certain failure.

Why The World Didn’T End Yesterday : Video Clips From The Coolest One

Why The World Didn'T End Yesterday : Video Clips From The Coolest One.